Rack suspended ceiling: installation instructions

An impeccably even ceiling, to which there are no complaints, is, rather, an exception to the rule, the dream of any owner, the crown of a successful repair. One of the options for an ideal ceiling surface can be a rack suspended ceiling.

Slatted ceilings are a stacked design of narrow long rails. Reiki is most often made of aluminum and steel alloys.

Advantages of rack ceilings

Even at the stage of deciding on the design of the ceiling, there are many advantages that allow you to make a choice in favor of the rack:

• ease of installation will allow you to mount the rack ceiling with your own hands and save from the invasion of workers;
• not all defects of the base surface can be easily corrected; therefore, it is easier to close them with a false ceiling;
• high fire safety;
• ease of care and environmental friendliness (safe materials on which mold and fungus will not start);
• long term of use - due to its resistance to moisture and temperature changes, such a ceiling will serve for many years in a row;
• An emergency in the form of flooding by neighbors from above does not pose any threat to a rack aluminum ceiling;
• ventilation, gas pipes, air conditioning mains and other household prose will be hidden from your eyes;
• decent appearance and elegant execution of any design idea;
• lightweight suspension design gives minimal wall load.

The components of the rack structure

The suspension system of this type consists of the following elements:

1. Carrier tire (stringers, traverses or combs) - steel strips on which the rails are mounted.
2. Adjustable suspensions with which stringers are attached to the ceiling.
3. Reiki - panels, most often aluminum or metal.
4. Inserts for splitting the gaps between the rails.
5. Corner - profile for masking joints.

Types of rack ceilings

Depending on the joints between the rails, ceilings are:

• open type;
• closed type;
• gapless type.

Open ceilings

When installing open-type ceilings, the slats do not lie adjacent to each other, there is a gap of about 15 mm between them. Typically, the gap is formed by an insert, which serves as an additional decorative element, but can remain open. Such a rack ceiling in the kitchen, in the bathroom or toilet is an excellent solution. It is functional, unpretentious in operation and has a very attractive appearance.

According to the profile of the rails, open-type ceiling structures are divided into:

• Italian design ceilings - slats 84 mm wide have rounded edges;
• German design ceilings - slats 85–185 mm wide with rectangular edges;
• design ceilings - slats from figured profile panels (V-, S-, U-shaped).

Special attention should be paid to design rack ceilings. Drop-shaped or cube-shaped slats in the shape of the letter V or П will help to give individuality to any room and satisfy the most refined taste.

Closed-type rack constructions

Installation of ceilings of this type occurs from the rails with a special "tongue", which closes the inter-rack space. In the finished form, the ceiling is a solid plane, and the different size of the panels allows you to create a non-standard rhythm in the design of the ceiling surface.

Gapless ceilings

These are suspended structures, the installation of rails in which occurs closely, without insertion. Got wide distribution in non-residential production rooms.

Tile Panel Selection Tips

Reiki can have different facing surfaces: matte, glossy, mirror, laminated, perforated. To make a competent choice, it is useful to know the nuances of each of the types of rails. Namely:

1. The matte surface of the rails does not reflect light glare, so in this case any type of lighting is acceptable - built-in lamps or traditional chandeliers.
2. A glossy or mirror surface implies the use of recessed fixtures.
3. Laminated panels look elegant and noble, but are not suitable for rooms with high humidity - it is better not to use them in the bathroom and in the kitchen.

Ceiling mounting

The installation of a false rack ceiling does not require high skill and special tools. The question "how to make a rack ceiling" will not puzzle you for a long time, because the whole process comes down to a few simple operations.

Following the instructions below, you can assemble the rack ceiling with your own hands.

You will need:

• roulette;
• drill;
• screwdriver;
• level;
• pencil;
• scissors for metal;
• Profiles
• dowels;
• self-tapping screws.

Installation instructions for rack ceiling:

1. Decide on the height at which the ceiling will be mounted. It is chosen arbitrarily, but if fixtures are built into the structure, at least 1 cm must be added to their size to calculate the height.
2. Using a level and a pencil, mark the installation line of the end profile throughout the ceiling.
3. Every 30–40 cm with a drill, drill holes for the dowels.
4. Using dowels and screws, fasten the profile. The angular profile can be mounted simply on self-tapping screws, without dowels: the design is quite light and does not have a large load.
5. Mark the ceiling for mounting the suspensions to which the stringers will be attached. To correctly calculate the required number of stringers, you need to know that you need to install the first one at a distance of no more than 30 cm from the wall. Subsequent gaps between tires should be no more than 120 cm.
6. Install a suspension for stringers on the ceiling in increments of 100 cm.
7. With metal scissors, cut the guide rail of the desired length.
8. Fasten tires on suspensions with screws.
9. Cut the aluminum rail to the desired length.
10. Insert the rails one end at a time into the guides and snap into place. The last rail is inserted above the end profile.

Important! Usually the last rail needs to be trimmed in width. To do this, mark the cut line and draw it deeply with a knife. Then bend and unbend the rail along this line until it breaks off.

How to cut holes for fixtures

To make neat holes for the fixtures in the rack panels, you need to follow the instructions:

• trace the contour of the lamp with a pencil on the surface of the metal rail;
• Using a drill with a cutting crown or manually with small scissors, carefully cut a hole starting from the center.

What else is good to know

Choosing rack panels, you should understand that only high-quality goods from a serious manufacturer can embody all the advantages. Not to be mistaken with the choice, a brief instruction will help:

1. The durability and strength of the suspension structure is affected by the thickness of the rack panels. The denser the rail, the less likely it will be damaged during installation, as well as sagging the ceiling. The optimum thickness of the rail is 0.5-0.8 mm.
2. Pay attention to the packaging. Quality products are always packed in a protective film.
3. Lamps that are planned to be used during the installation of the rack ceiling must be bought together with the rack panels.

In order to navigate the abundance of products on offer, it will be useful to know the leading manufacturers of rack panels:

1. The company "HUNTER DOUGLAS" (Holland) produces a wide range of metal rails of different colors and sizes.
2. Firm PROMETAL (Italy) is a respected manufacturer of high-quality rack panels.
3. Russian manufacturer "ALBES". Competitive price while maintaining the excellent quality of aluminum slatted panels is a profitable feature of the products of this manufacturer.

In conclusion, we can try to cite the shortcomings of rack suspended ceilings. But we will be adequate: is there a slight decrease in the height of the ceiling due to the suspended structure and some relative high cost (in comparison, for example, with plastic panels) are not compensated more than by the unique appearance of the new ceiling, individual design nuances, not to mention its purely technical merits?

Let your ceiling become the best version of yourself - choose your rack panels.